COMPASSION VS FEAR
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Oh baby.... This chapter hits me right where it hurts. Hold on friends. It could be a bumpy ride.
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Compassion- we have that right?? I mean we say we do. Isn't compassion what we feel when we say how sad it is that someone is going through a hard time and we'll pray for them?
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I don't know. What is compassion really? It's a trait Jesus displayed on a regular basis.
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Mathew 9:36
And seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.
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Jesus was always his most passionate about the defenseless and needy. Take a look at Jesus life and you will see Him routinely interact with lepers, children, prostitutes... Jesus dives in with these people in a way that makes me feel a bit ashamed.
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Here is a beautiful definition of compassion from "Fields"
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The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, which together mean "to suffer with." Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears.
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Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.
by Henri Nouwen
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Weep with those who weep- Romans 12:15
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Compassion is about going where we are uncomfortable and bearing the burdens of those desperately in need.
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As Tom Davis says- It's not exactly a popular message.
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Jesus never shied away from pain. He was ready and willing to feel it.
Do we do that? Do we let ourselves go there? Do we let ourselves feel the reality of a 10 year old who is sold by her daddy to be a prostitute? Do we feel the hunger of a 3 year old girl alone with her dying momma in Uganda?
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We don't WANT to go there! We don't WANT to feel it. Why?
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FEAR
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Why didn't I help that person I saw on the street? Why don't more people adopt? Why do I want to run away when I hear about all the pain? Why?
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I love what Tom says...
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We are afraid of changing what we have always done. Our lives have become comfortable and manageable. If loving the stranger, the widow and the poor have never been a part of our lives in the past- even if we know it should be- it's much easier to keep living as we always have.
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I've known so many people who feel they are called to give up their present lifestyle and follow Christ in missions or youth ministry or other service. But they're just too afraid.
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And others are intimidated by the little things God asks them to do like becoming a volunteer helper at a week long summer day camp for kids......
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What if these impulses are from God? What kind of joy might we be cheating ourselves out of?
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Ironically, it turns out that fear is what prevents us from growing and changing.
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FEAR WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH CHANGE;
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Fear demands the status qou. And the status qou leads to death.
Who wants the status qou? It is stagnant and stymied living. On the other hand, compassionate involvement is vibrant and fulfilled living.
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It doesn't matter what the reason or excuse... fear is what keeps us from what God wants us to be. It is not an emotion that should rule us EVER. When it comes down to it fear is almost always selfish. Now hear me- I did not say wise thought or concern. I said fear. Fear is always about me. Compassion is about the other person.
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Fear- it's as simple as that.
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One emotion changes who we are as people. It keeps us chained to what we do not want to be. It keeps us from being everything we dream we could be. It causes us to hold our loved ones back from greatness. It causes us to look back on the past with regret and wonder what we could have done...could have been. It's a slow death while we live.
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I know you've seen this ten times on my blog. You'll probably see it ten more. It can't be read to many times!! :0)
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The Voice Of Adventure
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There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe.Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure.
There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe.Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure.
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Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God’s impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference.
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Don’t listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won’t feel guilty.
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Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.Sure it isn’t safe, but what is? (Max Lucado)
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Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.
As we conquer fear our compassion spills over. Jesus is asking me to RUN TO the very pain I run away from. That is when we know God- really, truly see who He is. That is where we will find His blessing. I am absolutely determined that I will live that way. I pray I can learn to do it.
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Angel
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A penny for your thoughts blogger buddies.